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18"/48 caliber Mark 1 gun
|length= |part_length= |width= |height= |crew= |caliber= |cartridge= |action= |rate= |velocity= |range= |max firing range= |feed= |sights= |breech= |recoil= |carriage= |elevation= |traverse= }} |length= |part_length= |width= |height= |crew= |caliber= |cartridge= |action= |rate= |velocity= |range= at 40° with 2,100 lb AP shell |max firing range= |feed= |sights= |breech= |recoil= |carriage= |elevation= |traverse= }} |length= |part_length= |width= |height= |crew= |caliber= |cartridge= |action= |rate= |velocity= |range= at 40° with 3,850 lb AP shell |max firing range= |feed= |sights= |breech= |recoil= |carriage= |elevation= |traverse= }} The 18"/48 caliber Mark 1 – United States Naval Gun was the initial name and design for large caliber naval gun in the early 1920s. After the Washington Naval Treaty prohibited the development of guns larger than , the gun was relined and finished as a high velocity 16"/56 Mark 4 gun. After the start of World War II, the gun was again relined to 18" and tested with a new Super Heavy Shell. The gun in its final form is currently displayed at the Dahlgren Naval Weapons Facility in Virginia, USA. Description After World War I, the erstwhile allies were poised to start a massive and costly naval arms race, with the United Kingdom, United States, and Japan creating plans for large fleets of new battleships and battlecruisers. The 18"/48 cal Mark 1, designed in 1920, was the result of the progression to larger and more heavily armed capital ships. It was designed to fire a AP shell at a muzzle velocity of . The gun prototype was halfway completed when the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 prohibited the development of guns larger than 16-inches. Consequently, the prototype was converted to a long barrel 16-inch gun and thus never fired in its original design configuration. Despite the treaty, battleship studies conducted in 1927-1928 had considered this gun, but was rejected due to excessive weight, very short liner life, and poor deck penetrating capability. The gun's size and weight meant that fewer 18-inch guns could be carried than 16-inch gun on a ship of a given size, while the large size and weight of the shells also reduced rate of fire. 16"/56 caliber Mark 4 The 18"/48 cal Mark 1 was finished with an extra thick 16-inch liner, and the resulting weapon became the 16"/56 cal Mark 4. The gun was first tested at the Dahlgren proving grounds in 1927, with tests continuing into the 1930s. It fired a AP shell at muzzle velocity, with a range of at 40° elevation. The high muzzle velocity of the prototype resulted in very short liner life of only 45 rounds, with a predicted liner life of 125 full charge rounds for the service weapon. During the early stages of the design process for the , the gun was briefly considered for the main battery, but was rejected due to short liner life; the belt armor was also designed against the 16"/56 cal gun.Garzke & Dulin pp. 154-157Friedman pp. 330-332 18"/47 caliber Mark A In 1938, with Japan's refusal to sign the Second London Naval Treaty and worsening situation in Europe and Asia, battleship studies once again considered 18-inch caliber main guns. During the early design stages of a 45,000-ton "slow" battleship alternative to the "fast" battleship design that would eventually result in the , the 18"/48 cal gun option was considered in several proposals.Garzke & Dulin, pp. 110-112Friedman pp. 308 The 16"/56 cal Mark 4 had its threaded tip cut off and was then relined to 18-inches; this weapon was then designated as the 18"/47 cal Mark A and was used to test a "Super Heavy" AP shell, which the gun fired at muzzle velocity, with a range of at 40° elevation. Ultimately, the General Board decided that a 16"/50 cal gun offered the best combination of performance and weight, and the new 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun was used by the design. The preeminence of naval aviation ended further developments into large caliber naval guns. While the 18"/47 cal Mark A was used to test the new "Super Heavy" 18-inch AP shell, if the caliber had been selected, a new lightweight 18"/48 cal gun would have been built. The new lightweight 18-inch gun would have fired the 3,850 lb "Super Heavy" shell at muzzle velocity, with a design reflecting those used in the contemporary 16"/50 cal Mark 7 gun rather than the 1920s technology used in the 18"/47 cal Mark A construction.Sumrall pp.66 With the conclusion of testing, the gun was placed in displayed at the Dahlgren Naval Weapons Facility in Virginia, USA. Construction The built-up gun is constructed of liner, a tube, jacket, nine hoops, six locking rings, a separate yoke ring and screw box liner. The breech mechanism was a down-swinging Welin block with vertical lever operating gear. Chromium plating of the bore was considered in the 1940s but never carried out. See also *List of naval guns *List of World War II artillery *40 cm/45 Type 94 naval gun *List of the largest cannon by caliber References * * * External links *18"/48 (45.7 cm) Mark 1, 16"/56 (40.6 cm) Mark 4, 18"/47 (45.7 cm) Mark A Category:Naval guns of the United States Category:World War II naval weapons Category:400 mm artillery Category:460 mm artillery